Government Approves New Play Yard Safety Standards

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has approved new federal mandatory safety standards for children’s play yards. The requirements will include latches and locks that prevent the play yard from folding on a child when it is in use and minimum height requirements so children can’t get out on their own. The play yards will have to be tested to ensure they are stable and that a child can’t be trapped by an accessory attachment, in a flimsy floor or a top rail that folds down. The CPSC says it’s received reports of more than 2,100 incidents involving play yards, including 60 fatalities and 170 injuries, between November 2007 and December 2011. The new standards go into effect six months after the final rule is published in the Federal Register.